Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ka ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã AvahanInvoking the Divine Year 4 Issue 5 September–October 2015

Sannyasa Peeth, Munger, Bihar,

Satya ka Avahan is a bilingual and bi- monthly magazine compiled, com- posed and published by the sannya- sin disciples of Sri Swami Satyananda for the benefit of all people who seek health, happiness and enlightenment. It contains the teachings of Sri Swami Sivananda, Sri Swami Satyananda and Swami programs of Peeth. Editor: Swami Yogamaya Saraswati SATYAM SPEAKS – Ô㦾ã½ãá Ìãã¥ããè Assistant Editor: Swami Siva- dhyanam Saraswati When you work for your inner perfection, Published by Sannyasa Peeth, c/o when you try to mend your nature, when Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger – 811201, Bihar. you try to reshape your personality, you Printed at Thomson Press India have to work hard. —Swami Satyananda © Sannyasa Peeth 2015 Membership is held on a yearly issues from January to December. Please send your requests for application and all correspondence to: Sannyasa Peeth c/o Ganga Darshan Fort, Munger, 811201 — Bihar, India ÔÌãã½ããè Ô㦾ãã¶ã¶ª - A self-addressed, stamped envelope must be sent along with enquiries to en- sure a response to your request

Front cover: Satyameshwar Aradhana Plates: 1: Sri Swami ; 2: Sri Swami Satyananda, Paduka Darshan, 1967; 3–8: Chaturmas Anusthana at Sannyasa Peeth 2015

Published and printed by Swami Shankarananda Saraswati on behalf of Sannyasa Peeth, c/o Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger – 811201, Bihar. Printed Owned by Sannyasa Peeth Editor: Swami Yogamaya Saraswati Satya ka ‚ããÌããÖ¶ãÔ㦾㠇ãŠã AvahanInvoking the Divine “I do not desire a kingdom or heaven or even liberation. My only desire is to alleviate the misery and affliction of others.” —

‚ãã¶ã¶ª ¼ãÌã¶ã ½ãò ÔÌãã½ããè Ô㦾ã½ãá ‡ãŠã Þãã¦ãì½ããÃÔã 3 ƒÃÍÌãÀ ‡ãŠã ‚ããäÔ¦ã¦Ìã 33 Þãã¦ãì½ããÃÔã ‚ã¶ãìÓŸã¶ã ‡ãŠãè ¢ããâãä‡ãŠ¾ããú Àã½ãÞããäÀ¦ã½ãã¶ãÔã- Ôãã©ãÇ㊠ÔããàãÀ¦ãã 47 48 ‡ãŠãõ¹ããè¶ã-¹ãâÞã‡ãŠ½ãá Chaturmas: A Period of Sadhana Swami Sivananda Saraswati The period of chaturmas, ‘four months’, begins from the full moon day in the month of Ashad (July–August), which is the extremely auspicious and holy day of Poornima. Sannyasins stay at one place during the ensuing four rainy months, engaging in the study of the , philosophical investigation and the practice of meditation. Guru Poornima heralds the setting in of the eagerly awaited rains. The water drawn up and stored as clouds in the hot summer now manifests in plentiful showers that usher in the advent of fresh life everywhere. Even so, all begin seriously to put into actual practice all the theory and philosophy that have been stored up in them through patient study. Aspirants commence or resolve to intensify with all earnestness, their practical spiritual sadhana right from this day. Study the Brahma Sutras and do japa of your guru during the four months following Guru Poornima. You will be that you have read, heard, seen and learnt become transformed, through sadhana, into a continuous outpouring of universal love, ceaseless loving service, and continuous prayer and

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Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 6 ãäÔã¦ã½ºãÀ-‚ã‡ã‹›îºãÀ 2015 Experiences in Sadhana Swami

When people do a lot of sadhana they have many experiences. They will tell you they had this or that experience; they saw use of having experiences if they do not have any meaning? expressions of archetypes. That is all right for some time, but spiritual experiences do not merely represent manifestation of deep-rooted complexes or emotions.

Beyond manifestation of archetypes In the early stages of sadhana, when you have dreams or visions, or hear sounds, that could be an expression or manifestation of what is hidden in your mind. Due to concentration and one-pointedness, you allow them an outlet. In the normal state of awareness, this does not happen. The reasoning mind, the intellectual mind, the social mind, the restricted mind, the mind which is ridden by turbulent complexes does not allow those the barrier is lifted. You lift up the lid and the deep-rooted samskaras come out, archetypal manifestations take place. I agree that even if these expressions do not give you anything else, at least they purify your mind. But there has to be some end to it. When you have experiences in spiritual life at a later stage, they must have an outcome. If they do not have an outcome, then they are just hallucinations or fantasies and you are at a preliminary stage. After all, you experience so many things in your meditation, but in actual life nothing happens. All your prophecies and predictions go wrong, all your premonitions are either negative or go wrong.

7 Even after the mind loses the barriers of time and space, the perceptions that it has in the depth are not true. It is because whenever you do sadhana, the ego goes with it. Even in the highest state of meditation, the experiences that you have are the manifestations of your ego. They are like pure cow’s milk with a few drops of lemon. Beautiful expressions may come, but the ego is there. We plod on the path with the help of the ego. There is a moment in spiritual life when experiences take place without the aid of ego. That happened to me when I was performing Chaturmas sadhana in Munger before establishing the .

Chaturmas sadhana Chaturmas means four months when sannyasins live in one place and study or talk about the , the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras. They don’t shave their beard or head and they don’t go out on tours. For sannyasins Chaturmas is observed for four months and for householders for two months. At this time the householders must observe celibacy, become vegetarian and perform worship and sadhana. Every Monday they should go to a temple. They must also have days of fasting, and in general take the minimum possible diet. So for the four months of Chaturmas I stayed in Munger. My host was Mr Kedar Goenka and he offered me his house, Ananda Bhavan, to stay in. During those four months, I did not eat normal meals. I took only fruit once a day and practised hatha kriyas. In fact, many of the

8 kriyas that I teach you, I never practised in . I practised them in Munger. I tried shankhaprakshalana on myself, with salt, with onion water, with water mixed with I also practised things that I knew about but had not practised earlier. I practised in a number of ways, I practised danda with turmeric. I was already lean and thin, but during this period, you could not only count my bones, you could only see bones and nothing else.

Perception without object One night, I was just sitting, or maybe I was practising mantra. It was midnight and everything was quiet, nature was silent. Nobody used to stay in Ananda Bhavan. Even the servants did not remain there after dusk. They were all afraid of spirits and such like. Suddenly I heard a dance going on. A girl was dancing to the music of damaru, mridanga, khanjari and other never stays here but today he has brought a dancing girl!’ I completely shut yet it seemed like a performance was going on inside. The music was playing and the raga was Basant Bahar. It was beautiful. I came back up and continued to hear it. I thought, ‘Okay, whatever it is, whether the spirit of a dancing girl who was murdered by the kings, or my personal experience, I don’t care. It is better to forget it.’ I was staying in the small building, Gol Kothi, and after the four months were over, I shifted to the bigger building, the big Ananda Bhavan. By the side of that building is a post-mortem house. People do not go there in the night as they think it is the home of spirits. I used to sit beside the Ganga near that place. Once in the night, I heard money being counted in the next room, as if it were a treasury. I knew nobody was there as I had locked the door myself and had the key. I said to myself,

9 ‘It is the same thing happening.’ In spite of these episodes I continued to stay in Ananda Bhavan and had many other experiences. I do not know whether they were true. Many there would be nothing, no bird, no bat, no crow, no falcon, no

The point of experience I had not hypnotized myself. In fact, in the earlier days, even after I had become a sannyasin, a part of me was purely intellectual. I had gone to the point where I even doubted experience, my whole mind changed. I began to see the whole thing in the context of man’s total awareness, not in the context of my individual awareness. You see, a guru, a teacher, or even a mother, has to see things not in their own context. They have to see things in the full context. Mother likes pakora, but the child does not like it. If she only cooks pakora the child will not eat. I like Samkhya but you don’t like it. I like Christianity and you don’t like it. I like , you don’t like it. So which is important? For a guru or a teacher which is important, what he likes or what others like? Anything can be right and anything can be wrong, for everything is born from man’s deeper existence. Perceptions that are external – experiences that you have through the senses, and the knowledge you derive from objects – ultimately come from the very depths of your existence. I am not using the word ‘mind’. Beyond the mind is consciousness, and beyond consciousness is existence. That is called satchidananda: truth- consciousness-bliss. Such is existence, and existence has no categories. Mind comes much later in the process of evolution, incarnation or descendence. It is possible that my deeper experiences will affect another mind without that person’s or my knowledge; my deeper fears, passions, knowledge and understanding can affect you and cause an experience. You know of my experiment with

10 shmashan sadhana as a young boy. I have spoken about it often. My family did not know that I had put ashes from the cremation ground on the terrace of the house, but I knew I had put them there. My father experienced someone jumping and running on the roof. It is possible that my knowledge was enough to create a turbulence, an experience for him. What he experienced was in me. Perhaps not consciously but somewhere in the depths of my mind I must have been thinking: ‘The ashes are up there. The spirits might come. They might jump and dance.’ You see, it was somewhere in my mind and this structure got connected with my father. Two minds were linked. It is true that we have individual minds, yet in reality, we are inter linked, like fans in a room. They are different, but somewhere there is a link because of which they have the same energy. The centres are different, the samskaras are different, one mind to another mind is always interlinked. It is there all the time.

Darshan So, Munger became very important for me. I came again and again and every time, I had a greater determination to not allow my mind to go deep but instead to realize the experiences as a separate reality and see them outside. I did not want to unite the internal awareness and the external perceptions at one point. I knew this was possible, for as an Indian I had been trained in the philosophy of darshan. There is a famous episode in the life of , the author

11 of Ramacharitamanas. Tulsidas used to live in Chitrakoot, as it is his exile. Therefore Tulsidas preferred to stay there. his livelihood through meagre means. Once he had taken to the task of making sandalwood paste and applying it on the foreheads of pilgrims for one or two annas. While he was applied the tilak, and instantly realized who it was. At once he knew that it was Sri himself, for the moment he applied the tilak the whole form changed before his eyes. The man was now wearing a crown, carrying a bow and arrow, had a complexion like that of a blue lotus, a wide chest and hands reaching down to the knees. Rama is known as ajanu bahu, one whose hands reach the knees. The moment Tulsidas put the feet, but he had already disappeared. That is called darshan, seeing something face to face. The vedic tradition believes that you can have the darshan of your ishta devata, chosen deity. The Vedas consider this the ultimate aim of man’s incarnation. Whether there is God or no God, if you can see the nucleus of your existence face to face, you are the greatest man. Not everybody can do it. We cannot even see our complexes. can go deep, deeper and much deeper, beyond ego, to the point or nucleus of your existence, to what you are, and see it outside as an object, a form, a reality, and visualize it face to face with eyes open, that is man’s greatest achievement. It is for this that yoga, , shastras, yama and exist. Everything that is taught on the spiritual path is only for that purpose and nothing else. You have to organize your life, business, food, relationships, enjoyments, you have to organize everything around you in order to facilitate this experience: darshan.

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Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 16 ãäÔã¦ã½ºãÀ-‚ã‡ã‹›îºãÀ 2015 Glimpses of Chaturmas Anusthana at Sannyasa Peeth

the tradition has prescribed certain periods of time when all that the sannyasin has learnt, understood and imbibed is This is not merely an inward process but also an outward expression, for a sannyasin must practise perfect balance between the inner and the outer. Chaturmas, the four months of rain, is such a period of sadhana. The wandering sannyasin stays at one place; the practical reason being that movement considered an impediment, it is used as an opportunity. The interaction with people so that whatever he has learnt and realized is given out to others for their wellbeing. Satsangs are customary and cultural events are also organized at this time so the harmonious expressions of life may manifest and the eternal values are maintained.

17 Swami initiated the tradition of Chaturmas anusthana at Sannyasa Peeth this year, thus creating another platform for the traditional principles of sannyasa and spiritual samskaras to be imbibed and expressed. Beginning on 2nd July with the auspicious recitation of Satyanarayan Katha, various programs of sadhana, satsang and cultural presentations were held. The conclusion of the anusthana took place on 28th September. A glimpse of the programs held until 20th August is given below.

of Purushottam maas, the ‘extra’ lunar month we are experiencing in 2015 and which pandits from Baidyanathesh- war Shankarbagh (Shivalaya), Munger, recited the katha Satyameshwar grounds in Paduka Darshan to participate anusthana. The tradition of Satyanarayan Katha has been a part of the Indian social culture for centuries, both for householders and peace, prosperity, happiness, success and auspiciousness in life.

Swami Niranjan Anusthana at Sannyasa Peeth, which is being held for the was no opportunity to present other aspects of Indian

18 spirituality to society. And yes, there is a term called ‘Indian spirituality’. It is not a racial or separatist term, but it indicates a system and a process of experiencing the divinity within. It includes many components, such as , havan, pooja, worship, anusthana, meditation, mantra and yantra, which bring to light a different dimension of life. “Satyanarayan Katha is one of the most sacred aspects of the Vaishnava tradition. The actual event is not more than an hour long, consisting of half an hour of storytelling and half an hour of pooja. The importance of this worship is listening to the story, whether you understand it or not. It is like a meditation where you focus on the sound. It is also a joyous event, as the scriptures say that after the katha, there should be music, dancing and festivity. This is an occasion when God is saying that there is no use being dry and isolated, rather dance, sing and be merry. It is, in fact, one of the simplest forms of .”

practical teachings on how to imbibe and practise the spiritual values of life to transform mind and behaviour, thus creating

19 a new lifestyle and resulting in harmony within oneself and in society. Swamiji explained that the path is laid out in the and , the positive attributes of life. Usually people refer to the yamas and niyamas listed by Sage Patanjali, but Swamiji delved into those presented in the wider body of spiritual literature. Two yamas and two niyamas were taken up: happiness and forgiveness, and japa and namaskara, respectively. Participants were also given questionnaires and asked to maintain a spiritual diary to help cultivate these four qualities in their life as a sadhana.

Swami Niranjan: “What is samskara? The word samskara comes from the root samyak, which means harmony. Samskara is samyak akara, meaning harmonious form, shape, or personality. The form to your nature is given by your thoughts. What you think is how you act and what you become. Therefore, it is the thoughts that have to be observed and managed. The change has to come yamas and niyamas are used to create this change in the thinking pattern which then transforms your behaviour and actions. Thus samskara is accessing the thoughts and making them better and more luminous, more sattwic. samskara, or cultivation of spiritual thoughts. “Spiritual thought is the development of positive qualities in life and overcoming negativities. For example, if you scream at somebody, take a sankalpa, “Never again will I scream at that person”, and try not to, from that moment onwards, rather than thinking that screaming today has

20 given you the right to scream at that person at every opportunity you get. That is an attitude. Can you live that? If you have the courage, then live it and show it. Show that you are capable of doing it, by living the yamas and niyamas. That is the beginning of adhyatmic samskara.”

During the four days preceding Guru Poornima, Swamiji gave daily satsangs in Paduka Darshan ashram, the seat of Sannyasa Peeth, on the subject clarified the duties of guru and disciple, the pitfalls on the path of discipleship and how one may remain true to one’s purpose. It was an inspiring havans, chants and adding to the atmosphere. Mother to the creation of a new epoch of spiritual awareness. On Guru Poornima day, this experience appeared to reach another level altogether and all those present, numbering more than 4,500, were able to step out of their little selves and connect with the universal consciousness of the guru tattwa, if only for a few

Swami Niranjan: “Remember the sankalpa of Guru light of the sun. You cannot be the sun; there are too many takes the form of a mirror, in the same way the hard shell of

21 the individuality, the little ‘I’ has to die so that the immortal awareness, self and luminosity can emerge. That has to be the sankalpa: to make your life a better life, to make your actions better actions, to make your thoughts positive thoughts, to connect with all that is good, bountiful and beautiful, so you become the emissary of peace, harmony and oneness. If you can do that even in part, then you have received and imbibed the message of this Guru Poornima.”

After the conclusion of the Guru Poornima program in the morning, on the afternoon of 31st July, the sadhanatmak period of Chaturmas began with the auspicious chanting of the Ramacharitamanas at Paduka Darshan, beside the newly session of the month-long chanting, or masparayan, in which a portion of this sacred text is recited every day. The recitation was done by the ladies of the Mitra Mandali of Munger, a group that has been regularly gathering for years to chant this text at the ashram. During the chanting, Swamiji offered pooja and shringara, adornment, to Satyameshwar every day as well as to the other presiding forces of Paduka Darshan: Sri Kedareshwar and the panchamukhi Ganesha. The sessions concluded with a havan by Swamiji and often

22 an informal satsang, with insightful and novel explanations of the events and characters associated with the Ramayana. For instance, the subject of avataras was explained by Swamiji in the following way.

Swami Niranjan: “Avatara, people say, is a divine incar- nation, and the purpose of that incarnation is believed to be threefold: to establish , to eradicate that which is not dharma, and to bring happiness in the life of good people. Now, each incarnation ex- presses certain qualities and attributes which are an in- herent part of his nature, behaviour and mentality. These become the inspiration to establish dharma, righteousness, and nyaya who becomes an avatara. For example, in the Vaishnava tradition there are twenty-four avataras of Narayana, out of which ten are important. The ninth avatara in this group is Buddha. The eighth avatara was , the seventh was Rama, the sixth was who was contemporary to Rama. It is not necessary that one avatara has to leave before the other can descend; two can coexist. Parashurama and Rama both lived in the same age and also had an encounter in the court of King Janaka, during the wedding of Sita with Rama. God-realization; he only spoke of meditation and nirvana. Therefore the intellectuals of society consider him an atheist, and classify as an atheistic philosophy.

23 Vaishnava tradition. Why? Because he had one quality that permeated the entire globe: shanti, peace. They say that the personality and nature of Buddha was such that the moment you entered his presence, your mind stopped working and you experienced shoonyata: all the agitations, Kings would come and forget the affairs of the court, soldiers would come and forget their animosity, dacoits would come and be freed of their greed and violence. Everyone would experience the shoonya state. That is agitation, there is absolute peace and harmony. There are no spikes, ripples or waves, nothing; you are a static mirror quality, Buddha became part of the assembly of avataras. In fact, we are all avataras, for we are all part of the same element though separated from it, just as water in a cup taken from the ocean is only aware of the cup. If it was sentient, it would only be aware of the base and the walls, of the container it is in. The taste, quality and composition of the water in the cup are all the same as that of the ocean, but due to the awareness being contained in the container, it is only aware of that much. The moment the container is emptied, the water becomes part of the ocean; it again experiences the vastness, the omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence of its own element. Those who are able to experience and express this are the avataras.”

24

This was the first satsang program of Chaturmas with a guest speaker, Sri Bal Vyas of Surajgadha, Bihar, who spoke from the Ramayana that were set amidst vatikas or gardens: Pushpa Vatika in Janakpur, Suman Vatika in Ayodhya significance of these events and gave the message that it is the presence of a sadguru that bestows beauty, knowledge, grace and courage at different occasions in one’s life. Sri Bal Vyas, who has been a disciple of Sri Swami Satyananda since childhood, received the inspiration to embark on his journey as a kathakar, storyteller, from Sri Swamiji, and is renowned for his talks on ancient spiritual texts.

An integral part of the Indian spiritual tradition is feeding fed. Therefore, in the month of August, two occasions of mass feeding were held in Ganga Darshan, wherein people from varied segments of society, including those from the most neglected sections, were invited to partake of sumptuous meals. More than 2,500 people were offered prasad on these two

25 days. Even as these thousands poured into the ‘langar’ at the Yoga area of the ashram, perfect discipline and order was maintained by the children and youths of Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal and Yuva Yoga Mitra Mandal. They also served everyone with utmost respect and love, while Swamiji himself oversaw that everyone was looked after well. The spirit of ‘Narayan bhoj’ had indeed come alive.

12–16 AUGUST:

Another famous storyteller who enchanted everyone with her rendering of the Ramayana through the medium of story, song, music and poetry was Srimati Krishna Devi of Bhagalpur. Ramacharitamanas where Rama spends time in Kishkindha, the kingdom of the monkeys, during Chaturmas. This is when he king Sugriva and kills Vali. Dipping into her vast knowledge and wisdom on the Ramayana, Srimati Krishna Devi brought these events alive for the audience. She was accompanied by three renowned musicians, Ill-allah Khan on the shehnai, Anumeh Mishra on the tabla and Shobhan Mitra on the organ. Srimati Krishna Devi dedicated this katha to the memory of Swami Dharmashakti (Ammaji), whose life was a shining example of devotion and surrender to Sri Rama and guru.

26

These were two evenings full of the sheer ecstasy of devotion. The Baul tradition of Bengal originates in wandering mins- trels who, with their quaint ekatara and dugdugi, would move from village to village singing of love for the Beloved and dancing in abandon with inner joy. Embedded within their songs, however, are deep spiri- tual truths. Their cryptic verses refer to yoga, tantra and the verities of the Upanishads even as they celebrate life and nature as a manifestation of the Divine and speak of the universal love that is beyond all human division. The people of Munger were able to experience this unique tradition as the father-son duo of Sudhir Das Baul and Gautam Das Baul along with their troupe of musicians presented Baul Geeti. Their soulful songs and music were imbued with deep emotion: the desolation of separation from the In-dweller, or as love to the one who shows the path – the guru as an embodiment of anandam, bliss. Concluding with the Mahamantra upon a special request from Swamiji (who also joined them on the manjira occasionally, delighting the musicians and audience alike), the Bauls not only struck a chord with everyone but also helped us become acquainted with the living cultural and spiritual traditions that exist all over India.

Swami Niranjan: “What you have witnessed is a special tradition of bhakti songs of India. They are traditionally sung by the fakirs who are known as ‘baul’. Baul means intoxicated, and these are people who are intoxicated by

27 or devotion; in their songs they describe bhakti along with jnana, knowledge, and vairagya, detachment, and they speak of bhakti as a means to reach the abode of the Beloved. Knowing the futility and impermanence of life, they are trying to reach permanence and the experience of immortality by uniting with the Beloved. This is a beautiful expression of the spiritual sentiments that arise when one is immersed in the thought, the memory, the name of the Beloved. It is spiritual music of the bhakti tradition describing the process of sadhana, the realization of knowledge, the attainment of bhakti, and meeting the Beloved through detachment.”

16–20 AUGUST:

Satyameshwar Mahadeva in his ‘refurbished’ abode at Paduka Darshan was offered a special worship during these Sri Swamiji was offered abhisheka, ceremonial bathing, each morning while the pandits from the Shivalaya temple, Munger, chanted the Rudra Ashtadhyayi eleven times. This was followed by an exquisite shringara or alankara when Satyameshwar rupas, or forms.

28 The first day, being a Monday, he was dressed in the style of Somanatheshwar, the jyotirlinga at Somnath in west India. A crescent moon tika adorned the Shivalingam garlands. Day two, a Tuesday, saw him as Rameshwara and the alankara was in the South Indian style like the jyotirlinga at Rameshwaram: Satyameshwar received sandalwood paste decoration and the insignia associated with Sri Rama. On the third day, the shringara resembled the form of the jyotirlinga with a set of bow and arrows placed next to him. Day four was a perfect example of divine synchronicity. The heavens opened up and all through the abhisheka, heavy rains lashed down to the roar of thunder and lightning, while Satyameshwar, dressed as Sundareshwar, the resplendent bridegroom of Meenakshi at the temple in Madurai, glowed in pitambari has it that during the marriage of Shiva-Parvati, there was heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. aradhana was extraordinary; Satyameshwar Mahadeva re- ceived abhisheka of honey that dripped in an unbroken stream on top of the Shivalingam. Then he assumed the form of Mahakaal, the jyotirlinga of Mahakaleshwar. Completely

29 Each day the aradhana concluded with arati and dovetailed into the masparayan of the Ramacharitamanas and havan together of Satyameshwar aradhana and the chanting of the Ramacharitamanas was truly a complementary worship of these two forms of divinity, Shiva and Sri Rama, who adore each other.

30 ‚ãã¶ã¶ª ¼ãÌã¶ã ½ãò ÔÌãã½ããè Ô㦾ã½ãá ‡ãŠã Þãã¦ãì½ããÃÔã ÔÌãã½ããè £ã½ãÃÍããä‡ã‹¦ã ÔãÀÔÌã¦ããè ¹ãÆ¥ããè¦ã `½ãñÀñ ‚ããÀ㣾ã' Ôãñ „®ð¦ã

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1. Reduce your wants to the minimum. 2. Adapt yourself to circumstances. 3. Never be attached to anything or anybody. 4. Share what you have with others. opportunity. 6. Entertain akarta and bhava, non-doership and the witnessing attitude. 7. Speak measured, proper and correct words. 9. Never leave the abhyasa, practice, even for a day. 10. The guru will only guide you. You should yourself tread the path. 11. Maintain a spiritual diary and correctly record your progress and failures. Stick to resolves. 12. Do not complain that there is no time for sadhana. Reduce sleep and tall talks. 13. Forget the feeling that you are so and so – a male or a female – by vigorous Brahma-chintana. 14. Never postpone a thing for tomorrow if it is possible for you to do it today. 15. Do not boast or make a show of your abilities. Be simple and humble. 16. Be cheerful always. Give up worries. 17. Be indifferent to things that do not concern you. 18. Fly away from negative company and negative discussion. 19. Be alone for a few hours daily. 20. Give up greediness, jealousy and hoarding. 21. Control your emotions by discrimination and detachment. 22. Always maintain equilibrium of mind. 23. Think twice before you speak and thrice before you act.

44 25. Find out your own faults and weaknesses. See only good in others. 26. Forgive and forget the harm done by others. Do good to those who hate you. 27. Shun lust, anger, egoism, infatuation and greed as a venomous cobra. 28. Be prepared to suffer any amount of pain. 30. See good in every face, in everything. 31. Take to sankirtan, satsang and prayer when the mind is overpowered by lower instincts. 32. Face obstacles coolly and boldly. 33. Care not for criticism when you are on the path. Yield not 34. Admit your faults. 35. Do not neglect daily and exercises. 36. Be active and nimble always. 37. Develop your heart by giving. Be extraordinarily charitable. Give more than one’s expectations. 38. Desires multiply misery. Develop contentment. 39. Control the senses one by one. sublime. 41. Do not lose temper when anybody insults, taunts or rebukes you. It is a mere play of words and a variety of sound. 42. Rest your mind in God and live in Truth. 43. Be up and doing in the path of perfection. mouna, silence, are incalculable. Never give up this practice. 46. Four important gates for passion to enter the mind are sound, touch, sight and thoughts. Be vigilant! with others.

45 48. Be moderate in everything. Extremes are always dangerous. 49. Everyday practise self-analysis and introspection. Know the amount of your growth. 50. Give up curiosities on the spiritual path. Conserve your energy and concentrate. Think of atman.

46 - ‡ãŠãõ¹ããè¶ã-¹ãâÞã‡ãŠ½ãá

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Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 48 ãäÔã¦ã½ºãÀ-‚ã‡ã‹›îºãÀ 2015 Yoga Publications Trust ÖãäÀ æ Yoga 2 Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã Cultivating Spiritual Samskara Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati In the ongoing e!ort to develop the next chapter of yoga, Swami Niranjanananda gave a series of satsangs during the Adhyatma Samskara Sadhana Satra. Held from 17th to 25th July at Ganga Darshan Ôã½¹ã㪇㊖ Vishwa Yogapeeth, it was ÔãÖ-Ôã½¹ã㪇㊖ the "rst course of its kind. – The aim was to take yoga 811201, practitioners beyond and into a broader understanding and application of yoga. They were given the tools to develop the ability to practise the yoga that can transform the mind © Sannyasa Peeth 2015 and behaviour, thus creating a new lifestyle and resulting in harmony within oneself and in society. Swamiji explained that the path is laid out in the yamas and niyamas, the positive attributes of life. Usually people refer to the yamas and niyamas listed by Sage Patanjali, but Swamiji delved into those presented in other yogic and spiritual – literatures. Two yamas: happiness and forgiveness, ÔãⶾããÔã ¹ããèŸ and two niyamas: japa and namaskara were taken – up. Participants were also given questionnaires 811201 and asked to maintain a spiritual diary so they can cultivate these four qualities in their life as a - sadhana. This book presents the satsangs and also includes the questionnaires.

For an order form and comprehensive publica- ‡ãŠÌãÀ ¹ãŠãñ›ãñ tions price list, please contact: Yoga Publications Trust, ‚㶪À ‡ãñŠ ÀâØããè¶ã ¹ãŠãñ›ãñ :1: Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger, Bihar 811201, India 2: 19673-8: Tel: +91-6344 222430 , Fax: +91-6344 220169 2015 A self-addressed, stamped envelope must be sent along with enquiries to ensure a response to your request.

Sannyasa Peeth Events & Courses 2016

Jan 13–15 Feb 1–Apr 25 Feb 1–Feb 1 2017 Feb 9–16 Jul 5–13 Jul 19–Sep 16 Sep 8–12 Oct 1–Dec 25

For more information on the above events, contact: Sannyasa Peeth, c/o Ganga Darshan, Munger, Bihar 811201, India Tel: 06344-222430, 06344-228603, 09304799615 Fax: 06344-220169 Website: www.biharyoga.net - A self-addressed, stamped envelope must be sent along with enquiries to ensure a response to your request